Whyte Rheo 3 e-bike review: light on weight, light on torque, light on price

Can an e-city bike survive in the hills of a rural village? We put the Whyte Rheo 3 through its paces to find out.

The Whyte RHeO 3 ebike side on in front of a stone wall
(Image credit: Future)
Cycling Weekly Verdict

The Whyte Rheo 3 is a surefooted, agile, versatile e-bike that makes for an easy car alternative. Integrated features ensure the bike is always ready to go, no matter the time of day or type of ride. It is as effective in hilly rural idylls as it is in flat busy towns.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    450w (peak) rear hub motor

  • +

    Nimble, agile, predictable steering

  • +

    Build-in lights

  • +

    Ready to roll with rack and mudguards

  • +

    Shimano Cues 9-speed drivetrain

  • +

    Lightweight compared to peers

  • +

    Price point

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    250Wh battery provides limited range if using in hills (and cooler temperatures)

  • -

    Cabling could do with a re-design at the frontend

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

Designed as a city e-bike, the Whyte Rheo 3 is packed with features to make travelling by bike as simple and as easy as possible. From integrated lights to the rear rack that's ready to load, this electric bike should make getting about town a breeze.

But what if you don't live in a town? Can all these functions still be put to use in the rural hills? I hopped on to find out if the Whyte Rheo 3 is one of the best electric bikes for any rider regardless of where they live.

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Hannah Bussey

Hannah is Cycling Weekly’s longest-serving tech writer, having started with the magazine back in 2011. She has covered all things technical for both print and digital over multiple seasons representing CW at spring Classics, and Grand Tours and all races in between.

Hannah was a successful road and track racer herself, competing in UCI races all over Europe as well as in China, Pakistan and New Zealand.

For fun, she's ridden LEJOG unaided, a lap of Majorca in a day, won a 24-hour mountain bike race and tackled famous mountain passes in the French Alps, Pyrenees, Dolomites and Himalayas. 

She lives just outside the Peak District National Park near Manchester UK with her partner, daughter and a small but beautifully formed bike collection.